“Corner!” might be a useful term this month when the Charleston Literary Festival (CLF) runs right into the second annual Food & Wine Classic. That professional kitchen lingo, brought into everyday lexicon by the televised streaming hit The Bear, warns chefs and servers of potential mishap when things are moving fast. In Charleston these next few weeks, things will indeed be bustling.
CLF will be serving up more than 50 programs in 10 days (Nov. 7 to Nov. 16). The Classic, a celebration of all things culinary and spirits sponsored by Food & Wine, Southern Living and Travel & Leisure magazines and backed by Explore Charleston, dishes out nearly the same number of seminars, tastings and dine-arounds in one weekend (Nov. 14 to Nov. 16).
In a chaotic kitchen, “corner” also signals mutual respect — a desire to give others space and artfully choreograph the crazy culinary dance. This is how Hunter Lewis and Sarah Moriarty, the CLF executive director, see the tight turn and overlap from one festival to another: It’s a delicious, creative opportunity, not a collision.
Two festivals coincide
“We moved the Classic after last year’s inaugural weekend in September, and I’m really glad we did,” said Lewis, editor-in-chief of Food & Wine. “November is a great time to be in Charleston. We’ll take advantage of that great weather and the harvest season.”
That shift also means that the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston can take advantage of overlap with the Literary Festival, which is also how Moriarty sees it.
She invited Lewis, whose journalism career boasts multiple James Beard Awards, International Association of Culinary Professional awards and a National Magazine Award, to headline a Nov. 13 CLF conversation with what was, up until now, a “top-secret mystery guest.”
“And as soon as Sarah and I started talking about a dynamic guest who would fit within the framework of the festival, we immediately thought of Alexander Smalls,” said Lewis.
A South Carolinian returns
Smalls is the best-selling author of five books, including his most recent When Alexander Graced the Table, an illustrated children’s book, and The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa. He’s also an opera singer, a TV personality, chef, restaurant owner and a South Carolina native.
“He’s a multi-hyphenate — the only person in the culinary world to have won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards, a Tony and a Grammy,” said Lewis. “And though he’s lived in New York for years where he runs a culinary salon out of his Harlem apartment, South Carolina continues to loom large for him. He’s the most interesting person in the world.”
Smalls, a Spartanburg native who sports his iconic specs and equally iconic smile, was featured in Food & Wine’s 2024 award-winning feature on rice, “How a Single Grain Shaped the History of This City — and Holds the Key to Its Future,” and was a participant in last year’s Classic. This fall, after taking the stage with Lewis at the Dock Street Theatre, he’ll enjoy being a special guest at the Classic, gracing Charleston with his charisma and radiant sense of hospitality.
Lewis, meanwhile, will hustle from the CLF stage to the many stages at the Charleston Gailliard Center and the Charleston Place to welcome the Classic’s guests and presenters, including celebrities like Emeril and E.J. Lagasse, Trisha Yearwood and Valerie Bertinelli. Still, he’s excited to “soak in as much of the Literary Festival as possible,” he said, and is grateful to participate.
“We didn’t plan the overlap when we scheduled this year’s Classic, but it makes sense to us to be part of a literary festival, because we are all storytellers,” said Lewis. “And Alexander Smalls is the ultimate storyteller. He’s the ultimate dinner party guest, the ultimate host.”
The Holy City’s culinary and literary landscape
Charleston’s crowded fall table is more than large enough for everyone, believe Lewis and Moriarty. In fact, the proximity and cross-pollination of festivals is welcomed.
“When we heard the Classic was coming to town, we were excited about the opportunity to highlight our common ground and the connection between sharing food and sharing books,” said Moriarty, whose organization sponsors a pre-festival event called “Feasting with Books.”
“To have an incredible Renaissance man like Alexander Smalls and have him in conversation with Hunter is a wonderful way to shine a light on our shared missions.”
Last year at the Classic, Spoleto Festival USA sponsored musicians to play at the Dine Around event at FIG, and Lewis hopes for further fertile intersections.
“As we think about the evolution of the Classic in Charleston, I can see us moving toward more connectivity between all three (CLF, Spoleto and the Classic),” he said. “Whether it’s words on the page or a performance on stage or music during a meal that creates more of an emotional connection, the arts and culinary excellence all bleed together in the best way possible.”
And in the age of AI, he adds, that’s more necessary than ever.
“These kinds of gatherings and events that celebrate the arts, that celebrate excellence, that celebrate joy and bring people together in community are something that artificial intelligence and the robots cannot manufacture. Being in these rooms together is, to me, what it’s all about.”
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.